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Oh, boy, how I miss the views/stats…
On this chapter we get to see the rest and end of their conversation.
Hope you enjoy!
(Beautiful Undone - Laura Doggett)
(…)
She's lying on her stomach, spent after the amazing way Harry went down on her. Hermione feels soft and numb and totally satisfied. He's kissing her calf, the tattoo, coming up on her leg, squeezing and biting.
She opens a smile when he indeed bites her ass with enthusiasm. It doesn't hurt but she lets out a little yelp and he chuckles deeply. That manly chuckle she loves. He keeps spreading kisses on her back.
Hermione will never get enough of this. Of him. Of them.
When Harry finally lies down by her side, a huge smile on his face, she kisses him, still tasting herself on his mouth. Both groan. She kisses his chest, nuzzling him for a change. He laughs.
"It tickles." He says, pulling her to his arms, squeezing her flesh. "I'm afraid I might be a sex addict when it comes to you." He says it so seriously that she can't help bursting out a laugh.
"Two members." She says, her hand going down on him and squeezing his ass.
When his laugh dies down, he says, "Hey, you need to teach me how you do that stuff, the searching for magical signatures and such."
"Sure." She states, clearing her throat and sitting on the bed. His eyes ravish her naked body and she bites her lower lip. "Do you feel the magic inside you? Or do you live with it without even noticing that it's there?"
He cocks his head. "I- I've never paid attention. I mean, I really feel it when we…" He takes her left hand in his, "share it."
"Exactly. It's the same thing inside you. All the time. I want you to concentrate on it." She pulls her hand back and observes while he obeys, closing his eyes.
Then he opens one to peek at her. "Do I have to close my eyes?"
She snorts. "Not really, but it's easier to concentrate if you do."
He nods and closes them again, taking a deep breath. Hermione waits a few seconds.
"Are you feeling it?" She asks.
He makes a face. "I think so."
"Okay. Now, I want you to manipulate it. Bend it at your will."
"The magic?" He frowns.
She rolls her eyes. "Of course, Harry."
"But-" He stops. "Ah, I see it." He opens a tiny smile.
Hermione knows how it goes. If he can feel the magic inside him, he can play with it as if it's a solid object.
"The magic is yours and it obeys to you." She states, flashes of when her father taught her this going through her mind and bringing out terrible memories-
"What's wrong?" Harry asks, opening his eyes, worried. There are moments that she hates the werewolf traits.
"Nothing. Focus." She says sharply and he closes his eyes again. She knows he'll ask about it later. "Are you manipulating the magic?" He nods. "Good. Now, I want you to imagine it leaving your body, touching things."
His eyebrows raise up. She waits.
Then she feels it. His magic touching her body, feather light touches. Hermione smiles. It's one of the best sensations she ever experienced. And her nipples harden.
"Like this, professor?" He asks, his voice hoarse.
She purses her lips, trying to control herself. "Yes." She's breathing a bit harder. "Now, I want you to search my magic with yours. I won't make it easy for you, though."
Her signature is always hidden. She learned how to do it at a very early age. Hermione can tell that he's trying hard, but failing. He grunts.
"Try again." She says. He nods.
He fails again.
Harry opens his eyes, a fire in them. "What am I doing wrong?" He asks.
"Nothing. I just have years of practice ahead of you. With those less experienced or unaware of their magic, I think you'll easily find their signatures. Keep practicing the manipulation. It also helps with wandless magic."
He sits on the bed, leaning against the headboard. "I just smelled… fear."
She sets her jaw. Fuck. It's hard sharing. She's so used to keep everything inside that- "My father taught me this technique. They weren't nice lessons."
Harry narrows his eyes. "He beat you?"
"Constantly." Harry snarls. "It's not easy controlling the magic and I was… five."
She sees him swallowing hard, his whole body tensing, an almost palpable anger taking over him. "I'm so sorry." He whispers.
Hermione exhales heavily. "He can't touch me now. This is in the past."
She tries sending away the memories, the pain, her cry, the way her mother would try to soothe her later. Hermione never understood why her daddy, who she loved so much, would hurt her like that. And she grew up believing that all she had to do for him to like her was being stronger and better. Do everything he asked of her. It took a long time for her to finally understand that… he would never love her. Not really.
Harry whines and her attention goes back to him. "I can smell all your pain and fuck-" He gulps. "I wished I could take it away."
She opens a sad smile. "You do, Harry. You do take it away." She squeezes his hand. A tear runs down his face and she gives him a kiss. "Hey, forget about it. It's not worth it."
He nods and kisses her, trying to pull her closer but Hermione resists.
"There's something we need to talk about." She says. But, well, there's a lot they still need to talk about, but this feels more urgent at the moment. "I want to talk about Matteo."
His eyes narrow and he sets his jaw, his whole expression serious. "Okay. What about him?"
Hermione knows it won't be easy. It's his grandfather and even if Harry is already a bit suspicious… he sees the man as his savior. It's quite impressive to her that he went against the lies Matteo fed him the last month to be here, living this moment.
But she has a lot of issues concerning D'Angelo. Like, a lot.
"For starters… I'm curious to why he never taught you this kind of magic. Wandless stuff, manipulating the magic-"
"I'm not sure." He says, clearly uncomfortable, defensive. Not a good start. And she tried an easy question first. "He really started training me after he told me about my parents, when I was around seven. He focused on many abilities, spells, and physical strength. There's a lot I can do, countless and unimaginable situations that I can escape. Stuff like that."
"But never wandless magic?"
"No."
"Why?"
"I don't know, Hermione." He's already a bit angry. "I never asked. And it was not like I couldn't do it, I'm just not as skilled as you." She wets her lips. "Why are you asking? Does it make a difference?"
"I- it's just odd." She states firmly. "Harry, he raised you for a revenge. Practically to be an assassin. And he never taught you wandless magic? Or how to find others' magical signatures? You can't say it's not strange-"
"So? What's your point?" He asks sharply.
"My point," She says in a serious tone, "is that he held you back. You're incredibly powerful and you could be even more if he hadn't-"
"Stop." He hisses and she takes a deep breath. "Just because my grandfather wasn't a psychopath like your father it doesn't mean that he didn't give me all I needed-"
"He set you up for failure." She states bluntly, the words coming out without her consent. But now she can't stop. "He didn't give you everything you needed and the main reason why you didn't disguise yourself when coming here was because Matteo told you people wouldn't recognize you. But I'm sure he knew we all would. He wanted you to be caught-"
Harry stands from the bed abruptly. "No. I won't listen to this now."
"Harry." She pleads. But he's shaking his head, fetching a t-shirt on the floor. "Don't you dare walking out of this room." She says through her teeth and he stops, his back to her. "I've been opening up to you without running from it. I know it hurts and sucks to face some things, but we're doing this and I'm giving myself one hundred percent for it to work. I expect nothing less from you." She gulps. "Come back to this bed right now or don't even bother later." She knows it's a bit harsh, but that's the only way he'll listen.
And indeed, he lowers his head and comes back to her, pain on his face. Harry leans, his lips finding hers in an eager kiss.
"Sorry." He says, closing his eyes. "It's just-"
"I know." She cups his face. "But I'm here for us to think about this. We're in this together, remember?"
He nods and sits back on the bed, using his hand to freshen up the sheets and put the t-shirt on her. She cocks her head in question. He opens a tiny smile.
"Having you naked is too distracting."
She takes his hand. "Love, I don't want you to be angry with me-"
"I'm not. If anything I'm angry with myself." He lowers his head. "You're right. Maybe I'm too close to Matteo to see the truth, but I want you to help me, then." He kisses her hand.
Hermione can see how hard it is for him to accept this. But she won't stop now.
"Was Matteo the one who found you? After your parents died?"
"Yes. On the same night."
"Okay." She says, "What explanation he gave you when he told you what happened? When he found you?"
"What do you mean?"
"Harry, why was he at your parents' house that night? Was he a close friend of James and Lily? Was he walking by the house by chance and saw what happened?" She snorts at her own words. "Why he took you in? Why he entered the house? How it all happened?"
Hermione watches him blink. It's surreal that he never questioned this. And she's pretty sure Matteo used some kind of influence on Harry. For him to accept what he was told without thinking about it. Much like the type of ancient magic her father uses on her.
It sends a shiver down her spine.
Harry widens his eyes, aware of her anxiousness.
"I- I never asked. I don't know." He whispers.
She closes her eyes. Fuck.
"He surely had a reason." She states slowly. "What he told you?"
Harry runs a hand through his hair, visibly shaken. "He said that he was looking for my parents. That he knew they were being persecuted and wanted to give them his support. That he discovered where they were hiding but when he got there it was too late."
"Okay. It could be true." She says, not really thinking so, but it is a plausible explanation. "Why the revenge, though?"
He shakes his head. "It was something for me to avenge my parents-"
"But was it your desire?" She touches his forearm and he looks into her eyes. "Can you remember if this need for revenge was yours or Matteo's? When you learned who your parents were, you thought, 'I'm going to kill Tom Riddle'?"
It's like watching a wave crashing in front of her. His whole expression changes and transforms, she can almost hear the gears inside his head going through his whole childhood and teenage years. It's obvious to her that-
"No." He gulps, covering his face with both hands.
Harry is fighting his own emotions and thoughts. She tries soothing him, now, very angry with Matteo D'Angelo. They don't know yet what this means, but Hermione can't help thinking that the man who took Harry to raise as his family, had an agenda of his own.
A plan well thought. Long in the making.
It strikes her the whole hour Matteo and her father talked alone inside her father's office. She presses her lips together.
This is getting more complicate. And insanely more dangerous.
If she thought it was almost impossible to go against her father, she can't even entertain the idea that he might have Matteo by his side.
Harry is reaching the same conclusions as her. She can tell by the hopelessness in his eyes.
"Do you think my mother-"
"No." Hermione cuts him. "Your mother has nothing to do with this, I'm sure. I mean, I can't know, but it's what I think."
He nods, agreeing and taking a deep breath. "Do you think he took part in the-"
She widens her eyes. "No." Matteo surely didn't kill his parents… she rather think he didn't. "I think he only saw an opportunity and seized it."
"But why? Fuck. Why?" A few tears run down his face and Hermione brushes them away.
"I don't know. But I want to find out. Don't you?"
He nods. Kissing her hands, leaning into her, needing this comfort. Which she gives gladly. Matteo is not the man Harry thought. Not a savior. And she knows how difficult it will be for him to come to terms with this new reality.
Then, something else crosses her mind. "Did Chiara talk about Greyback with you?"
"She did, a few days ago."
Hermione snorts. Chiara could have done it before. But well…
"We went together to find Greyback when you were still recovering from the bite. I knew I couldn't let that much time pass and I was so fucking furious that he had bitten you." She kisses his jaw. "We found him hurt, hiding close to the house. It was easy getting a few things out of him, then."
"Like that Riddle was after power." He completes.
"What if Matteo was after the same power?"
"But what power?" He exhales heavily. "My parents just wanted to live their lives in peace-"
He stops. Hermione waits, nervous.
"What?" She asks, not controlling herself.
"When I read the File on the Persecution I- well, I lost it with Sirius' deposition and went to Grimmauld to… understand." He makes a face and she knows he didn't act civilly. "Regardless, Sirius showed me a memory, from when they were young, from 1978." She widens her eyes, very interested. "They were talking about the fact that Riddle was still onto them, and if I'm not wrong, there's a moment when my mother talks about something they did…" He shakes his head. "But she doesn't finish the thought and I have no idea what she meant, but… it felt suspicious."
Hermione lowers her head, thinking. "Since we found out that my father already knew their location, I've been sure that there was something more to the Persecution. It wasn't about their relationship, Harry. I mean, you read the file." She raises one eyebrow. "It feels almost like my father was waiting for the right moment to act, to strike." Harry is listening, his eyes on her, "Greyback said he wanted power and Goyle stated that my father didn't consider the mission a success… whatever power he waited all those years to put his hands on, he failed. Him and Matteo."
He squeezes her thigh. "What power? No one else seems to know a thing." He shakes his head. "When I was in Rome I went through my parents' memories." Hermione frowns and he takes a moment to explain to her that when Matteo found him, he was hidden with many memories that his parents left. It brings tears to her eyes and she stops herself from crying. Fucking shit. "I was a bit restless and wanted to look for more clues. I didn't find much, but-" He stops and raises from the bed. She blinks. "I need to go to the flat to fetch a few things. I'll be right back."
He kisses her briefly and apparates. Hermione misses him immediately.
She lies down on the bed, thinking about everything they're discussing. She knew Matteo D'Angelo wasn't a hero. She felt it the first time she met him at the Villa when she entered his study and took in his posture and the way he behaved himself. He was too kind, too understanding, too eager to make a deal with her - even if he pretended he wasn't. That's the classic tactic. He kept saying that she should tell Harry, knowing she wouldn't, but showing how good he was-
Shit.
In her opinion Matteo might be more dangerous than her father.
Tom Riddle is… Tom Riddle.
But Matteo D'Angelo… has a good and impeccable image. He's apparently trustworthy and kind. It's way harder to expose the ugliness behind his actions because no one expects it to exist. Differently from what happens with her father.
He tried to keep Harry away from me.
This infuriates her to a point of blindness. If their love wasn't bigger than these manipulations… Harry would be trying to kill her right now-
He apparates back. A strange smile on his face mixed with some… disgust.
"What happened?" She asks, her eyes on the handbag he brought.
"I definitely want to move here as soon as possible. And I'll burn my couch."
Hermione snorts. "Why?" She's already imagining-
"Chiara told you she's in love?" She nods. "With my cousin?" Hermione opens her mouth and widens her eyes. Then she laughs hard. "They were doing it on my couch." Harry trembles, clicking his tongue. "It's the second time I catch her like that." And he laughs, loudly.
Hermione keeps laughing with him, until she… "Are you cool with it? Chiara and your cousin?"
Harry cocks his head. "Of course I am. He's very nice and I want her to be happy."
She takes in a deep breath. There's a whole part of his life that she'll be introduced to and she's not sure how… people will welcome her. But she tucks away these insecurities for now. They still have a lot to talk about Matteo and the Persecution.
He's taking a few things from inside the bag. What looks like a photo album and… a toy? Hermione blinks at it, a strange sensation taking over her. An emotion she doesn't understand and is not sure she wants to.
But when Harry sits by her side and she takes a good look at it-
"I feel like I've seen this before." She whispers, her hand going immediately to the toy phoenix. There are tears in her eyes and she has no idea why. "Where did you get it?"
Harry frowns, watching her with wide eyes. "I think you're mistaking it for something else, I mean, this toy was mine. I found it at my parents' house when I went there to look for clues."
She gulps, examining it. To be fair it's a common magical toy and she relaxes. It would be unexplainable if she had seen this same toy before. She surely saw a similar one at some point of her childhood.
"Tell me about these clues." She says in a low voice, looking back at him.
He opens a half smile and takes the toy back, "I saw this toy on one of their last memories, a few weeks before that Halloween night. I was clutching this to me, squeezing it in my little hands and it felt important, mostly because I hadn't seen it in any other memory." He gulps. "But I'm not really sure it's a clue or anything." She nods, getting what he means. "This photo album…" He trails and opens it on his lap.
Hermione leans to see the first photo. James and Lily, around fifteen. Young and carefree.
She has a permanent smile on her face while Harry goes through the many pictures of his parents, however, she can't help noticing how their expressions changed over the years. Life wasn't kind on them.
Then her breath hitches when Harry shows her a picture of them with his baby self. She opens the hugest smile, taking the photo and admiring it. Harry was a lovely baby, chubby with dark hair and the cutest cheeks.
She tries stopping her mind from going there and succeeds for a bit, she doesn't want Harry to feel bad about this because she's thinking of the children they won't be able to have. Inhaling deeply, she says:
"It astonishes me that this photo exists."
He nods, "I thought the same thing. A solid proof of my existence and it was right there in a trapdoor under a rug in their bedroom."
"The same place Matteo found you." She states. "Do you think he would have missed this?"
His clear discomfort shows. "No." He accio another thing from the handbag, a blanket. "This was also inside."
Hermione can't quite believe that… "It smells like you." She whispers, looking at him, a bit overwhelmed by all these items from a life he never got a real chance at living. "Matteo shouldn't have left these things there…" She hints, gulping.
"Indeed. When I-" He stops, looking down, ashamed. "When I went back to Goyle's, he… knew who I was. He said he'd been waiting for me. He went back to the house, Hermione, he saw these things." Harry proceeds to tell her what the former Auror said to him when he went there alone.
She shakes her head. It was sheer luck that Goyle decided keeping this to himself. Sighing, she looks back at the photo album-
"Some are missing." She states, her fingers on the empty slots.
"I don't know who took them." They share a look. "Maybe I should ask my grandfather."
"I think…" She says carefully, "you really should."
Making a face, he takes the photo album back, along with the blanket and the toy phoenix. Hermione watches while he heads to the closet and magically makes some hidden space for these things, he also takes a memory from his pocket, raising an eyebrow to her - the one she stole - putting it away with the rest.
It warms her heart that he's really, truly, moving in.
"I searched two more things at their house, but couldn't find them, letters from their friends and… a big white book that was always near them in the memories. It had no title or cover, but it seemed important."
He sits back down on the bed, pulling her to him with one arm. She puts one of her legs above his. Both thinking.
"I don't think they would have left letters there." She states. "They hid everything about you the same way I'm sure they hid or destroyed most of their personal stuff. There wasn't one visible picture inside the house. None."
He nods, chewing the inside of his cheek. "I want to ask Sirius and Remus about possible letters, even if I think they don't have them anymore."
"It would be too incriminating, indeed." She completes. His hand caresses her waist gently. She kisses his face. "I think this white book might be the answer, Harry. The why my father and maybe Matteo were after them."
"It could be anywhere." He says in a low voice, a bit hopeless.
"Hey." He turns his head to her and they share a small kiss. "We'll find it. We'll understand what happened. And we'll expose it to the world. We'll bring their names justice." He squeezes her waist, their foreheads touching. "We'll change History, Harry Potter."
He kisses her cheek, pulling her to his lap. They share a tight hug.
"I'm so fucking lucky to have you." He whispers. "You're amazing and I-" He chokes a bit. "I love you so much." They share a heated kiss. "So much. My love. My Hermione."
Her heart swells at the words. So simple and yet so powerful. So undeniable.
And it's such a loving moment. Their touches, their kisses. It's an intimacy that can't be forced. It just exists naturally.
"I love you." She says when they stop kissing.
"Hermione." He pulls a bit back, a curious expression on his face. "I have a question." She cocks her head. "What did you feel when you… found out that I'm a Potter?"
She snorts. "Well, I was very… shaken." She says honestly. "But it changed nothing. I- I already loved you and even knowing that you wanted to murder my family," He makes a face, "I could only think about protecting you, hiding your secret and keeping you away from my father." She purses her lips. "I think the hardest was having you lying to my face constantly."
Harry inhales sharply. "Again, I'm very sorry. I should have told you sooner."
She raises one eyebrow. "You should have." Hermione just wants to make this clear. "Especially when you were demanding honesty from me."
"It was the first and the last time. I promise." He kisses her, trying to create a distraction. "We'll be one hundred years old and I'll be able to say that I never hid anything from you after this."
She laughs out loud, shaking her head, her hands on his nape and hair. "That's impossible." She whispers, her mouth on his. "It's okay, love. I forgive you, but I just want to say what I felt."
He nods. "I understand."
She opens a tiny smile and he does the same. Hermione would make love to him right now, but she should really give it some time and Harry himself seems to need it. So, she only holds him tighter.
Harry exhales, nuzzling her neck.
"I need to write a report to my grandfather." She waits for him to continue, "And I'm going to detail how mean and evil you are." She chuckles.
"Can I help?"
"You must." They snort at the words. He kisses her neck. "And I think I should pay him a visit in the near future."
"Is that so?" She closes her eyes at his kisses.
"Yes, and you'll go with me. Hidden under the Cloak. I want to see his memories."
"His memories?" She frowns, pulling back to look at him.
"He keeps many memories inside a room. Matteo is obsessed with them. I never looked into his drawer, but now, I have tons of reasons to do so."
She nods. "Okay. We may find answers."
And against her better judgment, Hermione lets him lay her down on the bed, his hands squeezing her everywhere, their mouths meeting eagerly. In no time he's inside her. And it's bliss.
He woke in the middle of the night and left the bed after watching her for a while. Hermione looked so knocked out that he didn't have the heart to wake her.
Now, Harry's looking at the big spreading tree near the lake. He has a feeling that this tree will be their favorite spot to sit under in warm or chilly days. It's beautiful, with a thick log and some impressive branches.
The full moon is shining bright and he can smell the night and the nature. If he pays enough attention, he can hear all the little insects and also…
Hermione waking up in the master bedroom and calling his name.
He smiles, waiting for her to come to him. She'll probably want to eat something, which he already did. Harry pockets his hands. He's wearing some sweatpants he brought from the flat and a t-shirt.
In a minute he hears the back door opening and her steps getting closer to him. Hermione hugs him from behind, kissing his back, her hands on his stomach. He puts his over hers.
"I think we should put a swing on this tree." He says. He can smell that she's sleepy. And hear how hungry she is.
"Amazing." She says. "It fits."
"I'll try to do it tomorrow." Sunday. The last day of their weekend. And they still have a lot to talk about. He turns to look at her and they share a little kiss. "Now, let's feed you." The primal need to fulfill all her needs is very interesting and… right.
Hermione snorts but walks with him to the house.
They settle again at the kitchen, "Are we still doing the chronological thing?" She asks.
"Well, we can, but I have to ask. How in the world are you and Chiara friends now?"
She opens a wide smile, setting a big plate for herself, incredibly hungry. "On my first time in Rome, Chiara already knew who I was, love. I had gone to the Villa the day before." He widens his eyes. "I left a note to your grandfather, inside his office, saying that I was going to be there on the next day for us to talk and make a deal."
"Are you serious?" He lets out a sound, not believing. "Am I that predictable?"
"It's not that… it's just- we have the same need to be together, Harry. I imagined that if things were the same for you as they were for me… I knew you would take me back to the Villa." She shrugs, chewing on her food.
Harry can't help snorting. "Fair." It is. He can understand what she's talking about. "Wait a second, you went to the Villa on the day before?" He frowns. "I smelled your perfume-" He whispers.
"Well, I was under the Cloak and I saw you there sunbathing," She moves a hand in front of her, "Then kissing Chiara." Her words cut the air and he smells her jealousy. Metallic. Like most unpleasant feelings.
"I-"
"You don't have to explain yourself. Yes, I was jealous, but I understood. And we had nothing real back then, Harry. It's fine."
He narrows his eyes. "You're not jealous of her anymore, are you?"
"No. To be honest, I like Chiara a lot." She chuckles. "She's an amazing friend. You were right."
There's a huge smile on his face. "So, you met when you made the deal with Matteo and then?"
"It wasn't the nicest meeting, I mean she called me a bitch and all that," Hermione rolls her eyes, "Then when she visited the Ministry, she… went to my place for us to have a talk. She knew I had made some kind of deal with Matteo to protect you." Hermione shakes her head. "What kept us as enemies brought us together eventually. You." She points to him and he tilts his head. "After you told her you're a Potter, she went to my place again and I opened up. Since then she knows everything and I have to say, she helped me a lot, Harry. And yeah, that's it, we're friends."
He blinks, very surprised. "I'm glad you're friends. And happy that she helped you when you felt like you had no one."
Harry knows his words are true. Hermione lowers her eyes, some kind of resentment coming from her.
"I-" She sighs. "I never reached out to them either. I mean, like you said, I always behaved in a way as if I didn't need anyone and-"
"They know about us." He says fast. "I told you they drugged me and… Sally saw us, Hermione. She saw us on that night after the dinner at the Manor. You remember she was sleeping in my bed and-" He stops at the face she makes. Harry sighs. "Not just that, but I- I told them a lot of things, mostly because I was unable to function when you refused my proposal and ended what we had."
Hermione looks a bit shocked, but she sighs, "I see. It… explains a few things. I suspected they knew something, but not the reality of things." She tilts her head. "In a way I'm relieved they already know, it makes thing easier…"
Hermione says nothing else and he takes her hand, squeezing lightly. She only keeps eating, until-
"Did you know that Chiara was the one who destroyed the statue at the Ministry?"
"What?" He asks, his voice a tone higher, shocked. He snorts. "For real?" She nods and they laugh.
"She used one of Moritz's powders, that's why it seemed like we couldn't fix it."
Harry shakes his head. "She didn't tell me. So, she was there that night-"
"She saw no one else. I still have no idea who killed Dursley. Do you have any?"
"Probably the person responsible for the attack at the Fair." He rests his chin on his fisted hand, thinking. "Did Chi tell you about her theory?"
"Which one?"
"That she thinks your father wants to kill you."
Hermione stops chewing, surprised. "She didn't."
A silence stretches. Since Chiara mentioned this, the idea has been at the back of his head.
"Do you think he would?" Harry asks carefully. He thinks so. Of course Riddle would.
Hermione wets her lips, crossing one leg over the other. Her scent is not the most welcoming one and just like he did when they were talking about Matteo, she'll try to refuse the idea as much as possible.
"I rather think he wouldn't." She says in a clipped tone. "I don't think he would use Muggle guns or anything of the sort. Like the Muggle bomb that exploded that day in my office."
"He just tried killing your mother-"
"He never cared about her-"
"And he does about you?"
She clears her throat. She's angry. Confused. Sad.
Hermione averts her eyes from his, closing off entirely. He can smell the animosity and the inner werewolf inside him whines. He hurt his mate. Harry sets his jaw, unsure.
"Hermione-"
"The thing is-" She cuts him and stops, very shaken. "Am I pathetic for wanting him to… love his own daughter?"
Harry inhales deeply. "No. Hey, look at me. No." He cups her cheek. "You're not." He brushes one of the few tears running down her cheek with his thumb, his heart breaking for her. "I- I just want us to consider all scenarios-"
"Harry," She kisses his hand, her eyes softening. "I know. And I get it. But sometimes it hits me, you know? How I tried my whole life and-" She closes her eyes, "to consider that he would murder me is-" She cries a bit harder and he actually whines, moving closer to her.
"I'm not saying he-"
"I know. I know." She takes a deep breath, cupping his face with both hands. "I know, love. It's okay." She kisses him. Harry only moves back when he's sure she's a bit better. "It would be silly to discard this possibility." She states, serious. "But at the time we have no proof."
"One of the reasons why I came back, why Matteo wanted me here again, was to collected proof against Riddle so the IWO can act."
Hermione presses her lips together, nodding to herself, looking away from him.
"It makes sense. It appears that Matteo wants to take my father down. And this brings us back to why he's so interested in London." The wrinkle appears between her brows. "Do you have any idea?"
"He talks about London tarnishing the Wizarding Community's image." She makes a face. "Yeah, I know. But why does he care, right? He has his own Ministry now…" Harry trails, thinking. "The way he talks about Riddle is…"
"Like they knew each other." She completes.
"Exactly." He nods. "There must be something in their past we have no idea of."
"That I would bet this house that is regarding the Potters and whichever power they had."
Harry runs a hand through his hair. "What if Matteo wants to seize London because he thinks Riddle has this power?"
Hermione looks down, her whole expression changing, her body tensing. She's anxious. "If that's the case then… he sent you here to do this, Harry. That's his real reason to everything-"
He clears his throat and she stops talking. Harry stands from the chair, letting out some air through his mouth, angry that he probably was manipulated his whole life. Raised by Matteo just so he could come to London in a suicidal mission thinking he was doing what he wanted and-
Hermione takes his hand in hers, the other one going to his face. She kisses him gently and he lets her arms close around him.
The same way it's not easy for her accepting that her father might want her dead, it's not easy for him to see… his father figure crumble down in front of him.
"We're only thinking about possibilities, love." Hermione whispers. "Nothing is certain. And I think we should focus on finding out the truth. With my father and with Matteo. We need to know what happened on that Halloween night and Dolohov might be the answer-"
"No." He cuts her. "Dolohov is out of reach at the moment. It is a trap, Hermione. I won't let you walk into it. Not with your spells failing and that man clearly wanting to murder you." He says sharply. "We need to find the samples and deal with Moritz."
She takes a step back, crossing her arms. He can see and feel the defiance in her. "Harry, you need to know what happened on the night your parents were murdered. It's been too long and finding out might even give us some answers. And my spells won't fail again-"
"Don't be stubborn." He sighs. "We're in this together now and I say that we need to focus on the samples and do our job with Moritz. And, fuck, please, just agree with me."
Her smell shows how unsatisfied she is, but Hermione sighs and nods, agreeing. "Fine."
Harry opens a smile, raising an eyebrow and kissing her cheek, her jaw, nibbling. "Good girl." His voice is hoarse and she inhales deeply, her hand going to his hair, tugging. She's very aroused now.
Their lips meet in a long and eager kiss. He really wants to take her right there, but Harry has to be honest with himself, he's a bit tired. And Hermione seems to understand it, which doesn't stop her from leading him to the couch at the living room.
Between kisses and horny words, heavy breaths and bites, she finally pushes him down to sit on the couch and he marvels at the sight of her moving down to kiss his stomach while pulling his t-shirt up and off. And he knows what's on her mind. He fists her hair, tugging a bit, showing how much he wants this.
Hermione goes back to kissing his neck, his jaw, her cheek rubbing on his, saying, "We already had sex in the kitchen, against the wall, on the lake platform, on our bed… so I think is only fitting we do it on our couch."
He chuckles and she kisses him.
It crosses his mind that they may never finish their conversation, but when her mouth closes around his cock, this thought goes out the window.
Yeah, he was tired but after she gave him a mind blowing orgasm on the couch, he took her upstairs and they fucked on the bed.
Now, he's really, insanely tired. But he can't take his hands off of her. So, he pulls her closer to him, her body fitting on the nook of his like a glove. She kisses his chest and sighs, comfortably leaning on him.
They don't say a word. Harry doesn't even think he has the strength to. He only moves one of his hands up and down her arm, looking at the ceiling.
Hermione is entertained with his tattoo, observing every little detail on his forearm. And when she's done, she kisses it gently.
Then, she says, "I want to have that thing for us to watch movies here."
He opens a smile. "Yeah? Did you enjoy our dates, love?"
"I loved every second of them, Harry." She kisses his chest again. "And I'm sure there are a ton of movies for us to watch."
"Indeed." He kisses her head. "I'll bring it over, don't worry. In fact, I'll bring everything over. Tomorrow."
She chuckles. "Well, if someone said that we would be moving in together after I threw your ass in jail-"
He laughs out loud, pinching her. She shrieks, happy.
And something they still haven't talked about crosses his mind.
"So, I'm insanely curious to know how you bonded with my Dragon." He says slowly.
Hermione looks up at him, one eyebrow raised and a mischievous smile on her face. "Hagrid told you, didn't he?" He nods. "I knew I should have asked him not to say a thing." She exhales. "Well, Bellaverde loves me." He opens his mouth, outraged and she snorts. "And she's not your Dragon. Not anymore. She's ours now."
Harry scoffs. "You know, in a way it's very natural and fitting, don't you think? We're soulmates." He kisses her nose. "Bellaverde sees a part of me in you, the same way I'm sure I have a part of you in me." He moves his head, indicating Crookshanks sleeping at his feet.
Hermione smiles. "I bonded with her on our night there. You were sleeping and Bellaverde showed up out of nowhere to sniff me again. It was kinda of intense."
"Really?" He's amused, happy. Relaxed. He loves the idea that Hermione and Bellaverde also share this connection. Because it clicks, because it's sharing powerful magic in an unique way. And he wouldn't have it with anyone else.
"Yeah… she could smell that I can't have children." Hermione whispers and again the scent filled with sadness hits him. It's infuriating. Tom Riddle is going to pay for this. For hurting Hermione so much. For taking for granted her amazing and beautiful heart- "You're snarling again." She states, kissing his chest.
"I'm sorry." Harry takes a deep breath. "It's so very hard to deal with the notion that Tom Riddle hurt you like this. That he got away with it." He squeezes her to his side.
"It's indeed very hard to deal with the notion." Her voice is barely there. "But there's something Bellaverde said that-"
"Said?" He frowns, tensing. "I- she talked to you?" He moves on the bed to look into her eyes.
Hermione opens and closes her mouth. Then she opens an apologetic smile. "She… did?" She says, unsure, not knowing if he'll be mad about it. "I was very surprised, I even asked why she didn't talk to you and she said that she liked to see you guess."
Despite the situation, he chuckles. "What a sneaky Dragon." He narrows his eyes. "She could have made my life a lot easier." He states, really thinking about the many times that Bellaverde had an answer and only gave him cryptic hints about the solution. The last time… the whole thing with Hermione. He shakes his head.
"Maybe she thought you had to figure things out for yourself." Hermione says slowly. "You grew up together, she knows how to deal with you, I'm sure."
"For sure." He inhales deeply. He's not mad. He's just… shocked. "So, what she said to you?"
Hermione tenses in his arms. "I- I'm not even sure why I'm telling you this since it must be wishful thinking, but… when she realized I can't have children, she asked me 'Are you sure? Entirely sure?' and I swear it felt like she knew something I didn't."
She presses her lips together. Harry can smell the sadness and the hope in her, the affliction mixed with anxiety. But he perks up at the words. He knows Hermione wants some kind of answer, wants to know if Bellaverde was just asking or if-
"All Dragons are vessels and carriers of powerful and ancient magic." He states, thinking about what he knows, what he learned throughout the years sharing a bond with Bellaverde. "Their magic is hard to be completely tamed and they have this kind of instinct that we can't fully understand. It's pure affinity with magic. That's why whichever place they settle, like the Valley, is charged with their magic and energy. Did you feel it? When we were there?"
"I did. It was… amazing."
"Right? It always awes me how things seem clearer and easier when close to that magic. Didn't you feel like you could… do anything?" He whispers the last words.
"In a way." She says. "It's certainly different from the magic we feel inside ourselves or use to perform spells."
He nods. "Look, if Bellaverde knows something about your… condition, then I think we should ask her directly. Why keep guessing?"
Hermione buries her face on his chest, groaning. "Harry, I did all the possible tests to be sure, I know there's no way. Maybe I don't wanna ask because I don't wanna face the truth of another disappointment-"
"Love, I understand not wanting to get your hopes up, but what if Bellaverde really knows something you don't? Why not try it?" He can tell that she'll refuse his words, and he continues before she has the chance, "We're in this together. Look at me." He moves her chin up with his hand. "I'll be there with you. If things don't go the way you expect, I'll hold your hand and we'll face it together, okay?" He asks pointedly, his eyes on hers. And he waits for her to confirm with a nod. "Good. Now, if Bellaverde knows a way…" He opens a huge smile. "I'll be more than glad to help you in conceiving our child." The words send a shiver down his spine. A good one. An exciting one.
Hermione closes her eyes and he can tell how hard she's fighting the overwhelming hope that is taking over her. She doesn't want to believe in this small miracle. But Harry is… surprisingly sure that they'll find a way. Even if Bellaverde never talked with him after years of bonding, he knows the Dragon so well that he trusts she wouldn't say this to Hermione without a reason.
And the notion makes him dizzy.
It hits him how much he wants to have a family with Hermione.
She's crying and he moves her face to his, kissing her. "I love you." He says. Then he kisses her again. "So much. Like, a ton. Like," He's still kissing her face, "it's ridiculous how much. Can you imagine that? Loving someone so much that it becomes ridiculous?"
And she chuckles. Exactly what he wanted. "I think I do know how it is." She says, kissing him back, her tongue in his mouth. When she pulls back, she says, "We'll talk to her, then." Her face is serious, her tone firm. "When we find the right time to do it, which I don't think will be soon with everything that's happening."
Before he can say that they can visit Bellaverde right now, he stops himself. Hermione still needs to be comfortable with the idea and she's discreetly asking for some time with this kind of excuse. And just because he loves her to a point of ridiculousness, he won't push.
This is her decision.
"Whenever you're ready." He answers, smiling. "Just say the word, okay?"
She gulps. "Okay."
And after a small silence, Hermione explains a bit more her encounter with Bellaverde and the day she went there while Harry was inside the cell. It brings a few tears to his eyes to know that Hermione cradled and took care of the Dragon's babies. It gives him a warm sensation to know that Bellaverde was there when Hermione felt so lonely and lost.
And they talk about all she went through while he was in custody. She talks about how much she shared with her mother and Harry feels even happier that they were able to save Bellatrix. The affair with John shocks him a little.
Hermione mentions the interrogations and the way Sirius questioned her at one point, their mad plan of maybe saving him. She also talks about the way Ginny treated her. And Ron. And Draco.
Harry has to take a deep breath not to apparate to their houses and give them a piece of his mind.
Then she opens up about her meeting with Matteo. In detail. Harry is astonished by her courage and sacrifice. And…
"You told him you knew I was a Potter." He whispers. "And even so, he-" Harry closes his eyes.
Hermione kisses his chest. "I know."
She tries steering his mind from this by changing the subject and talking a bit more about Chiara. Hermione recounts their encounter with Greyback. Harry takes a moment to chastise her in taking so many potions, but she dismisses it as a minor thing. Which annoys him a bit.
"What if your spells keep failing?"
She stops at that, he can tell that she already considered this. "First of all, it failed two times." He snorts. Dio. So stubborn. "And well, I mean, I knew the potions were going to take a toll on me, and now I have to deal with this, but I don't think-"
"Fuck. I hate this. I hate everything you went through to protect me." He squeezes her in his arms. "Now you're vulnerable and we have no idea when your spells might fail or even if this is ever going to stop." He makes a face at his own words.
She's silent. Her smell is the same, a hint of doubt and… suffering.
He kisses her temple. "Tell me more about the binding obedience. How it was. What happened." His voice comes out low.
Hermione moves a bit uncomfortable, but she tells him. She tells him everything. All she went through and how weak she felt. How she was living on the brink for months. How she got sick because of it, how she knew their time was ending.
"When you were sick," He cuts her, "I- my left hand kept tingling, it was a strange feeling. I needed to be with you for it to stop."
"Harry," She whispers, "When we touched that day, I felt loads better. I think our bond healed me."
He presses his lips together, slightly annoyed. "See? You should have told me. I think we could have broken this binding obedience with it-"
"There was no way of being sure." She says, frustrated. "What if it didn't work? Then my father would know about us and I don't even want to think about what could have happened." She inhales deeply, kissing his chest again. "No. We went through hell and back but at least we're here now. Safe and sound."
He stops himself from saying a few other things and Hermione continues to talk about the binding obedience until she reaches the moment her father set her free from it. Harry can smell the sheer relief she felt while she remembers. How her magic and power came back to her. How well she is now.
Harry listens to it all. He listens while she tells him what she did that month away. He tells her what he did, how he tried not to think about her and the way Matteo manipulated him.
And with his arms around her, his fingers tracing patterns on her skin, his hands squeezing her flesh occasionally, he gets lost at the perfection of it. At the amazing fact that now they can talk about anything at all.
There are no more secrets between them. No more lies.
"Hey." She says and his attention goes back to her. She's looking at him, smiling. Hermione squints. "I do hope this smile on your face is because of me."
He chuckles. "Always."
They share a kiss. And when Harry pulls back from it, he spreads pecks all over her face, making her snort.
"You're the most delicious and incredible woman in this world." He says between pecks, his arms bringing her even closer. Her smell changes to simple and unadulterated love. And he groans at how good it is. He can't stop himself from nuzzling her again.
The werewolf traits are wearing down a bit and Harry makes a face at it. He really enjoyed this. Her hand goes into his hair, her nails on his scalp in a nice caress.
They look at each other.
With smiles on their faces, they quietly profess their love.
Harry inhales deeply, filled with love and affection. Feeling warm and good. Calm. Then he gently gives another peck on the tip of her nose.
"I love you." She whispers. "I promise that it won't go by a day that I won't say it to you." She kisses his chin.
He raises an eyebrow. "I like it. This thing of saying it everyday." He tilts his head. "Let's promise we'll never end a day without saying it to each other."
"Deal, Potter."
His heart swells. "Deal, Riddle." He says and then snorts. "You know, it's a bit odd."
"What?"
"The Potter." He whispers, looking at the ceiling now.
Hermione tenses a bit, waiting for him to continue. She knows that before he wouldn't tell her everything on his mind, but now…
"Since I found out who I really was, all I wanted was to claim this name. Bring honor to the Potters." His voice is a bit distant. "But sometimes I wonder if that's ever going to happen. I wonder if I'll feel as a Potter as much as I feel as a D'Angelo." He gulps and she kisses his neck, one of her hands going to his waist, squeezing gently. "Even when I saw the memories, even when I realized the enormity of being a Potter, it was-" He presses his lips together.
"What?" She prods and he looks back at her.
"It was hard to understand it all. I felt guilty for not remembering my parents. I felt guilty for loving my mother Bianca. Felt guilty that I survived. Felt guilty for loving my life. Felt guilty that I was proud of being a D'Angelo." Hermione sees one tear running down his cheek and she kisses it. He opens a small smile. "Of course these things changed for me when I got older. But it wasn't easy living with this secret. I hid it from everyone and closed myself inside this shell Matteo created for me. A dome where the only thing I could breathe and think about was the revenge."
She stops herself from saying a word, but Harry can surely smell how she feels about Matteo. It's not a good feeling.
"I know." Harry says, talking about her emotions. "I stalled this revenge as much as I could, but once I decided it was time, I came." He squeezes her in his arms. "And-" Harry hesitates.
Hermione moves on the bed, disentangling herself from his arms, kneeling by his side. Harry also moves and sits with his back against the headboard. They're naked but she has to agree with him, is too distracting, so, she magically dresses them. Harry with a t-shirt and boxers, while she puts on some panties and one of his t-shirts.
"Tell me." She whispers, taking his hand and sitting with her legs crossed.
Holding her hand, their eyes locked, he makes a face.
"I-" Harry shrugs. "I don't regret killing those Aurors." He states in a serious tone and she gulps. She wouldn't either. However- "I'm aware that I shouldn't have let my emotions take over, but it was- Hermione, seeing them, hearing them, knowing that they've been there that night when my parents were murdered- I-" He chokes and she squeezes his hand, not moving, waiting for him to feel comfortable to keep talking. "It was a blind rage, and it seized me. I didn't think about consequences or anything of the sort. I just wanted them to suffer." He presses his lips together, a hint of shame in his eyes. "It's unfair that my parents died while they continued to live."
Hermione inhales deeply at his words. "Harry, I don't judge you." Her tone is gentle. "I think I would have done the same myself, but-" She shakes her head. "I do fear for you." He tilts his head, not completely understanding. "This is a dangerous path. Satisfying at first, sure, but dark and frustrating also." Hermione moves her thumb to caress his hand. "It won't bring James and Lily back." She whispers. "And killing people the way you did- with that much rage-" She stops. Flashes of the bodies Harry left behind filling her mind. He whines a bit, knowing that she's anxious and slightly scared.
"Love, I-" He's crying now and she moves to give him some comfort, her arms going around him.
"It's okay, Harry."
"I don't want you to see me differently because of this-"
"Never." She whispers. "Never." She kisses his cheek gently.
He sobs, nodding, his hands gripping her arms, clinging desperately.
"I felt terrible after- but I couldn't let them live, I couldn't. And then it became easier, but- Each time I felt like I was losing part of myself and-" He cries more openly now and Hermione exhales heavily, feeling for him, wanting to take his pain away. "I don't know- Hermione I don't know if my parents would be proud of me, if-" He stops, lowering his head to cry harder.
Her hands go into his hair, caressing him, her head pressed against his.
"Harry." She whispers to him, closing her eyes. "You have a beautiful heart, my love. You're courageous and strong and so, so loving. So determined." His hands squeeze her waist. "You're thoughtful and affectionate. You want to do your best for the sake of others. There's no way they're not proud of you."
He keeps crying and she gives him the moment, truly shaken with his suffering. When he finally looks up at her, she says:
"Moments of blind rage cannot define us, okay? I know it's hard coming to terms with this, but it happened and now you can choose to do differently." She gulps. Hermione can't lie, Dolohov deserves to die, and if she has to, she'll do it to spare Harry. "This is too personal for you." She gives him a gentle peck. "But you're not alone. You never were. I'm here."
He sighs. "Thank you, so much." And he brings her to his arms. Hermione straddles him while they share this painful hug. "I'm sorry if my actions put you in a difficult position as Head Auror or-"
"Don't worry about that." She squeezes him even tighter against her. "My only concern is your mental health, Harry."
She moves back and they look at each other.
"I- won't lie. It- this. All of this. The revenge. Getting close to my parents' friends and enemies, working for Tom Riddle, reading that File… It's- it's a bit too much sometimes."
"I can… imagine. Whenever you need me, I'll be here, okay?"
"Having you with me makes things a lot easier." He whispers, his eyes locked on hers. "But, it's a very delicate situation, I mean, that night when Lucius said he knew who I was and tried to choke me-"
"Then I'm glad he's dead." She says coldly, some hot anger taking over her. "Now, with Dolohov inside the Ministry, I want you to be extra careful."
He raises one eyebrow. "I'm always careful."
Hermione rolls her eyes. "Please. You're so reckless I'm surprised you've reached the age of twenty-five."
Harry chuckles and she feels lighter at the sound. "If I survived all this time on my own, now with you by my side to save my ass I can be even more reckless."
She laughs out loud. "Don't you dare!" Hermione playfully smacks his shoulder. When their laughter dies down, she turns serious. "I'm serious. I can't bare the thought of losing you."
"I'm not going anywhere." And Harry takes a moment to kiss her gently. Hermione loves to be in his arms like this, her heart close to his heart, their arms around each other, their mouths kissing while she can smell him, while she can feel his warmth. It's impossible not to open a smile. Only being with him is enough. This intimacy is precious to her. Harry pulls back from the kiss, his eyes are still a bit red from the crying but he's smiling.
Hermione sighs. "We have to promise to always seek one another before taking big decisions, okay?"
"Okay." He bumps his nose on hers. "But I think this is on you. You're the one who makes important decisions without even considering what others might think or-"
"I do not!" She makes a face. Harry smiles.
"You do." Hermione pouts, not happy. He bites on her lower lip, chuckling. "Um. Angry Hermione." She gets a shiver at the way his hands go under the t-shirt, his fingers finding her breasts and playing with her nipples. She exhales, kissing his cheek. "And…" He trails, stopping his hands. "I- Are you okay with meeting my aunt and all? Because it would mean a lot-"
"Of course." She cuts him, her fingers in his hair. "I- look," Hermione sighs. "I want to meet them all, but I just… I'm not sure they want to meet me." Her voice comes out low, all her insecurities showing.
Harry shakes his head. "They want to, I'm sure." He gives her a peck. "I mean, my aunt may have some justified reservations against you since she saw me crying after you threw me in jail and all that."
She grunts, looking down and he chuckles. "See?" He shrugs. Hermione knows they only have to explain things, but- "I'm a Riddle, Harry." She whispers slowly. "Are you ready to be with a Riddle? To truly marry me?"
He tilts his head. "More than ready, beautiful."
The way he doesn't even hesitate makes her heart swell. Hermione opens a huge smile. There's really nothing that can stand between them now. And it feels amazing.
"I'm glad, handsome." She whispers and they share another kiss.
And she knows their weekend is getting closer to an end. She also knows they still have many things to talk about, but right now she decides that they can just enjoy each other. Right now, the only thing Hermione wants is… to be happy.
Note: So, a lot changes from now on. They're finally TOGETHER!